Winncare

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant the service was generally managed and led well. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service ensured there was a shared vision; and staff at all levels prioritised safe, high-quality, compassionate care. The service’s values were included in the service user guide, staff handbook and mission statement, and weekly staff meetings was held to discuss new or emerging risk. The registered manager told us, “We want to provide a high-quality service and good standards of care. For me, consistency is key, and empathy.”

Leaders were knowledgeable about issues and priorities for the quality of services and could access appropriate support and development in their role. Whilst there was a lack of formal meetings to discuss the service, the registered manager confirmed they were offered support, advice and guidance from the nominated individual daily. A nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. Leaders had the experience, capacity, capability and integrity to ensure the organisational vision could be delivered and risks were well managed. Staff members spoke positively about the registered manager and said they felt well supported. A staff member told us, “I think [registered manager] is a brilliant manager. Anytime I talk to them, they always sort it out. I would go straight to them with any issues.” Following feedback, the registered manager confirmed they would schedule and record meetings with the nominated individual, to discuss issues and priorities within the service.

Leaders actively promoted staff empowerment to drive improvement. They encourage staff to raise concerns and promoted the value of doing so. All staff were confident that their voices would be heard. Staff surveys were carried out annually. Results had been analysed and summarised to staff, including details of any actions taken. Staff confirmed they were invited to team meetings and felt comfortable approaching managers with concerns. A staff member said, “Yes, I feel able to speak up about any issues. Anything raised is looked into and sorted as quickly as possible.”

The service took action to prevent and address bullying and harassment for all staff, with a clear focus on those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act. The staff handbook referenced how staff member’s protected characteristics were respected; and the service’s policies covered equality, diversity and harassment. Staff expressed no concerns about how they were treated by the registered manager, senior staff or colleagues and confirmed morale was good. A staff member said, “It’s very polite, very happy. Managers are pleasant to speak to.”

The service did not always have robust arrangements for the integrity of data and records, and information was not always used effectively to monitor and improve the safety and quality of care. For example: records relating to people’s needs lacked detail and sometimes information conflicted, and documentation for recruitment and medication was not always complete (please see the ‘safe’ and ‘effective’ sections of this report for more details). Arrangements for the availability and confidentiality of data were in place. By using an electronic care planning system leaders could monitor information, review and update records easily and ensure data was secure. There were clear and effective governance, management and accountability arrangements and staff understood their roles and responsibilities. The staff handbook included a copy of the company hierarchy, and the registered manager explained who was responsible for the various checks and audits at the service. They told us, “Supervisors carry out the reviews and spot checks, and managers do the supervisor’s spot checks. Alerts and reminders are built into the [electronic care planning] system.” The registered manager provided evidence of improvements made to documentation and records following our feedback.

Staff and leaders worked in partnership with key organisations to support care provision, service development and joined up care. The service had previously worked with local hospices and healthcare partners, to share learning and improve outcomes for people. For example: a person using the service required support to use specialist medical equipment, so training was sought from the local district nursing team. This meant they could receive ongoing treatment at home, causing less disruption to their daily routine and improving their quality of life.

Leaders ensured people using the service, relatives, carers and staff were involved in developing improvement initiatives. One of the service’s values was, ‘Communication – to actively listen and value the views of others, to communicate regularly, effectively and positively involving our service users, families, external agencies and colleagues.’ People, relatives and staff had been asked for feedback around required improvements via surveys or reviews, and the registered manager gave examples of staff being consulted when problem solving.